Detroit News

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News When is scoring a touchdown a mistake? When it gives Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford enough time to orchestrate a game-winning drive.  Without Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley stumbling into the end zone from 10 yards out with 1:04 remaining, the Lions almost certainly lose on Sunday and their season is

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Minutes after his game-winning touchdown catch on Sunday, Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson popped on to a Zoom call with reporters with a huge smile and emphatically wished everyone a happy “National Tight Ends Day.” The mock holiday, an invention of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Atlanta — Justin Rogers grades the Detroit Lions’ performance in their 23-22 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Quarterback The last time Matthew Stafford played a game in the state of Georgia, he was still in college. And while he didn’t come close to matching the five touchdowns he

Nolan Bianchi   | The Detroit News Game summary The Detroit Lions travelled the entire length of the field in 1:04 and beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-22 with an 11-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Hockenson on the game’s final play. Todd Gurley punched in a touchdown to take the lead late in the fourth quarter instead

Rod Beard   | The Detroit News The Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons are riding the wave of impressive victories last week, looking to salvage their seasons and stay in contention for a playoff spot. In their press conferences this week, Lions coach Matt Patricia and Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris were asked about the potential

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The Detroit Lions officially got two players off injured reserve Saturday afternoon, activating cornerback Mike Ford and running back Bo Scarbrough.  To clear room on the roster, the Lions released offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins and cornerback Chris Jones.  Ford and Scarbrough, who were both with the team last season, have

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News In the brightest moment of his rookie season, D’Andre Swift managed to learn an important lesson: Trust your speed.  Entering the game late in the first quarter, Swift took his first handoff and shot through a sizable hole to the right. With no one in the second level of

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The Detroit Lions are about as healthy as they could hope to be at his point in the season. Heading into the team’s Week 7 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, only Desmond Trufant is remaining on the injury report. The starting cornerback has been ruled out for Sunday’s contest

The Detroit News  |  The Detroit News Justin Rogers, Rod Beard, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News predict the outcome of Sunday’s Lions at Falcons game (1 p.m., Fox, 760). ►Justin Rogers: Both teams got on track with convincing wins last week, but there’s still reason to be skeptical about both defenses. The

Rod Beard   | The Detroit News Lions at Falcons Kickoff: 1 Sunday, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta TV/radio: Fox/760 Records: Lions 1-4, Falcons 1-5 Line: Falcons by 1 Rod Beard of The Detroit News breaks down the Lions’ Week 7 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons: Key matchup LIONS’ PASSING GAME VS. FALCONS’ SECONDARY For the second straight game,

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News One of the core tenets of Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia’s defensive philosophy is attempting to take away what the opposition does best each week. Obviously, that’s easier said that done, and not always executed to design, but the idea is you force an opponent to beat you with someone

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News If you didn’t know the name Matt Nelson prior to the Detroit Lions’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, you weren’t alone.  Unless you’re a die-hard, it’s likely you didn’t even know Nelson was on the Lions’ roster. After all, you’re talking about an undrafted free agent who spent

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News If you answer anyone other than Aaron Donald when asked who is the best defensive tackle in football, well, you’d be wrong. Fortunately for the Detroit Lions, they won’t have to see Donald this year, outside of an unforeseen postseason meeting. But this Sunday in Atlanta, they’ll have to deal with

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News While it might be too short of a window to play this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions cornerback Justin Coleman was cleared to return to practice Thursday after a five-week stint on injured reserve.  In his second season with the Lions, Coleman led the team in defensive snaps

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News It’s unclear how much the Detroit Lions planned to play offensive lineman Joe Dahl in his return from injured reserve last Sunday, but in all likelihood, it was less than the 34 snaps he was actually needed in the victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  A starter prior to suffering

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The Detroit Lions were without four starters during Wednesday’s practice, their first in preparation for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Defensive end Trey Flowers (wrist), wide receiver Marvin Jones (knee), center Frank Ragnow (groin) and cornerback Desmond Trufant (hamstring) were all sidelined.  Additionally, wide receiver Danny Amendola was limited

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The NFL’s trade deadline is Nov. 3, a little less than two weeks away, and all eyes will be on the Detroit Lions after the team has swung three big deals the past two years at this time, acquiring one high-profile starter, while dealing two away.  “Honestly, I really

Rod Beard ,  Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The Detroit Lions had made some noticeable improvements with their pass rush in Sunday’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. If they’re going to build on that progress, they’ll need to do it without rookie defensive end Julian Okwara, who suffered an injury to his right leg in the

The Detroit News  |  The Detroit News Justin Rogers, Rod Beard, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News offer their predictions against the spread for Week 7 of the 2020 NFL season. Detroit +1 at Atlanta Rogers: Atlanta Beard: Detroit Niyo: Detroit Wojnowski: Atlanta More: Lions film review: Breaking down what went right for the

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News With each passing game, it feels like T.J. Hockenson is so close to putting it all together. The Detroit Lions tight end, in his second season, has flashed in every aspect of his role this year. In each of the first three games, he recorded at least four receptions for